Sony explains mandatory PS Plus and talks PS3 Support

Shuhei Yoshida says due to "large investment of resources" for online play, keeping service free would have been "absurd."

Sony has explained why a PlayStation Plus subscription will be required PlayStation 4 titles online. In the latest issue of Famitsu (translated by Kotaku), Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida said that it would have been "absurd" to keep the service free, considering the "large investment of resources" Sony has made for online infrastructure.

"The main pillar for the PS4 will be online play. We're developing many new ways to play and connect which requires a large investment of resources," Yoshida said.

"Considering the cost, to try to keep such a service free and consequently lower the quality would be absurd. We decided that if that's the case, then it would be better to receive proper payment and continue to offer a good service."

Currently, Sony does not charge a penny for online play for the PlayStation 3. PlayStation Plus subscriptions are offered for $50 per year and current memberships will carry over to the PS4.

The move puts Sony in line with Microsoft, which currently mandates Xbox 360 users have an Xbox Live Gold membership ($60/year) to play games online and access features like Netflix.

Elsewhere in the Famitsu issue, Sony Japan president Hiroshi Kawano said just because the PS4 is the main show moving forward, support for the PS3 is not ending anytime soon.

"It's been seven years since the release of the PS3 and the console continues to sell at a constant pace, plus we have many upcoming titles," Kawano said. "We have no intention of immediately shifting from the PS3 to the PS4."

"With the 2014 launch of our cloud service in the US allowing users to play PS3 games on the PS4, some people may switch consoles from the PS3 to the PS4," he added. "But that'll be a gradual process, and to say 'we're releasing a new console, so trade in your old ones for it' would be a maker's ego talking, plain and simple."

The PS4 launches this holiday for $399/€399/£349.

Mandatory PS Plus for online makes sense now. Maybe Sony has something in store to compete with Xbox Live online.

I don't mind having to have ps plus to play online. I plan on getting plus when I set up my ps4. Some of the games such as watch dogs comes out on ps3 as well. So it's not like anyone will be missing out on games. If people aren't ready to pay for plus yet It sounds like they can still use the ps3, that's a good thing and emphasises that sony is giving people options. They aren't taking things away from the ps3 and forcing you to buy a ps4. They seem to be taking the approach of enjoy your ps3 but this ps4 is going to make things even better. They are in the stages of making you actually want the ps4 and not forcing down your throat. The ps4 is making me feel like ps plus will only make the experience better and people don't seem to have any complaints about it with all the stuff you get for the price so I don't feel bad at all about getting plus. I'm looking forward to having it now.

So they're basically saying they're offering a better online service (dedicated media servers, etc.) and I think that's fair enough excuse to charge for online gaming, I have never experienced any issues when it comes to online gaming due to PSN, but if it's going to be loads better then great.

sony lost millions with there free online play for the PS3 but if they have dedicated servers for there huge games like cod killzone
games like this it will be awesome lets hope they do i will be come a ps plus meber soon

I'll never agree with pay to play online. I do agree that PS+ is worth every penny.

This situation is basically a sugar coated turd.

Why not? Keeping servers up and moderating them costs quite an amount of money. Obviously, this is in their benefit and they'll probably make a $#@!load of profit from it but if they can provide a stable service while still maintaining the benefits of PS+ I don't mind paying.

Read this before, but it's a common sense kinda explanation. Increasing the investment requires some sort of funding for it. It's a good move imo.

I agree that this was a good move. Being a paid service has its perks. That revenue is what made Xbox Live the quality online service that it is. It will help PSN be a quality online service as well. Plus the apps aren't behind a paywall like they are on Live.

I assume that PS3 users will still get free online? Can PS3 players play against PS4 players in games for both consoles? If a PS4 owner uses the cloud in 2014 to play a PS3 game will the online be free? Sounds like the cloud part won't be coming to Europe until the second, or third year of the gen. Long time to wait for the play while you download feature.

Yes PS3 online will still be free. But wow, Europe has to wait that long? I assume X1 will have the cloud service worldwide on day one? Or was there some countries that were being left out for now?

Yes PS3 online will still be free. But wow, Europe has to wait that long? I assume X1 will have the cloud service worldwide on day one? Or was there some countries that were being left out for now?

Not heard what the release plan is for Azure, but doesn't it already exist? As I haven't ordered a X1 it won't bother me too much if its a year or so behind. I think it's their crappy TV services that won't be avalable day one outside of US.

I do like Sony's play while downloading feature though so was hoping it'd be available pretty soon after release.

I will also never agree that we should pay for online gaming, I mean we already pay plenty of money just for the game itself. But we should also consider the fact that after the DDoS attack, Sony had to invest some more on their Network Services, not just to make it better but more secure, so I guess that's also a good explanation.

Not heard what the release plan is for Azure, but doesn't it already exist? As I haven't ordered a X1 it won't bother me too much if its a year or so behind. I think it's their crappy TV services that won't be avalable day one outside of US. I do like Sony's play while downloading feature though so was hoping it'd be available pretty soon after release.

I saw a map in another thread that showed which countries were blanked out. But anyway thats another topic. As for Sony that does suck that Europe has to wait so long.

Not heard what the release plan is for Azure, but doesn't it already exist? As I haven't ordered a X1 it won't bother me too much if its a year or so behind. I think it's their crappy TV services that won't be avalable day one outside of US.

I do like Sony's play while downloading feature though so was hoping it'd be available pretty soon after release.

Azure is already setup worldwide. Apple already uses it for their cloud service. Azure will be there day one.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

"We don't provide the 'easy to program for' console that (developers) want, because 'easy to program for' means that anybody will be able to take advantage of pretty much what the hardware can do, so then the question is, what do you do for the rest of the nine-and-a-half years?"
--Kaz Hirai, CEO, Sony Computer Entertainment

On XBone, it's essentially mandatory to have a Live subscription to do anything online, except for some multimedia. That makes the XBone price $560, for all intents and purposes.

The PS4 doesn't absolutely require PS+ for all online. While it hasn't been totally confirmed, Sony has said several MMO don't require a PS+ subscription, like Planetside 2, Dust 514, Free Realms, DC Universe, many others, while the Netflix and Amazon plus even more like Crackle, won't require a PS+ subscription. It also sounds like it may be policy for Sony publishing but other publishers like EA and Activision can continue on with their own networks, just like now. This will get more clarified as Gamescom gets closer and more information about which titles will or won't require PS+. At least, on the PS4, a paid subscription is a choice or option.

Last edited by Bligmerk; 06-27-2013 at 21:55.

Pacing in wait of Sony's imminent DOOM!...since 2006

PS4 - The Only Hardcore Gaming Console = All Your Baserape Are Belong To Us

On XBone, it's essentially mandatory to have a Live subscription to do anything online, except for some multimedia. That makes the XBone price $560, for all intents and purposes.

The PS4 doesn't absolutely require PS+ for all online. While it hasn't been totally confirmed, Sony has said several MMO don't require a PS+ subscription, like Planetside 2, Dust 514, Free Realms, DC Universe, many others, while the Netflix and Amazon plus even more like Crackle, won't require a PS+ subscription. It also sounds like it may be policy for Sony publishing but other publishers like EA and Activision can continue on with their own networks, just like now. This will get more clarified as Gamescom gets closer and more information about which titles will or won't require PS+. At least, on the PS4, a paid subscription is a choice or option.

Microsoft hasn't detailed their Gold service for Xbox One yet. They said details coming soon.

Everything costs money. Some won't like it, but the majority will be reasonable and understand. I don't really play multiplayer, so I would never get PS+ just multiplayer. But, rather, I have PS+ for the instant game collection and the access to 1 Hour Full Game Demos (which X1 was trying to copy with the Family Sharing, but unfortunately they seem to have canned it). I'm delighted to know that apps and the games I would actually play online (MMO's, F2P, Indies) are allowed to opt out of the requirement, in case I need to let my subscription lapse for a while for whatever reason. Also, the games you DL free on PS+ do re-activate, along with your subscription, you don't just lose functionality (though, for less than the price of a game -- $50 -- I'll probably just pay for a whole year).

Good deal. It's better they improve our services and request what they need, than to tank their ability to uphold the infrastructure for it at all, by not doing so. It's just smart.

Consoling is not PC play, people cannot run their own servers and let the game community utilize them, and Peer to Peer is not quality enough in the grand scheme of things. That "significant investment" from Sony more than likely has atleast in part to do with renting servers / operators from Google or some other major company in order to bolster Gaikai, PSN and compete with Microsoft. It's the only way.

personally, I have no problem paying for ps+. the content given for $50 is incredible, just look at the current free games for example: saints row 3 which would be 40$ and uncharted 3 which would be around 35$. If Sony is finally going to get on microsh!ts level with the dedicated servers and we have to pay a bit for it fine. up to now that was the only thing Xbox fanboys could say was better was the online play, looks like sony's changing that. bring on the ps4 and ps+

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